Binge eating - Treatment

Treating binge eating

Binge eating disorders are usually treatable and most people will eventually get better with appropriate help and support.

The main treatments are outlined below.

Self-help programmes

A self-help programme is often the first step towards recovery. There are many different types of self-help and it's important to find one that suits you. Your GP may be able to recommend a self-help book or self-help group that would be suitable.

You can find information on self-help books from your local library or from the eating disorders charity Beat, which also has information on finding self-help and support groups for eating disorders.

If you are referred to a mental health professional for help, they might encourage you to work through a self-help book under their supervision. This is called "guided self-help".

For some people, a self-help programme alone may be enough to help them overcome their eating problems.

Psychological therapy

You may also be referred for psychological therapy to help tackle the underlying problems that cause you to binge eat.

The three main types of therapy used to help people who binge eat are:

cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) for binge eating disorder (CBT-BED) – a specially adapted type of CBT that involves talking to a therapist and working out new ways of thinking about situations, feelings and food

an adapted form of dialectical behaviour therapy (DBT) – therapy that mainly focuses on improving your ability to control and regulate your emotions

interpersonal therapy (IPT) – therapy that focuses on relationship-based issues and how they may be influencing your eating habits

These therapies can be very effective in helping people who binge eat, although it's not clear how long-lasting the results are.

It’s common to experience some periods where the problem improves (remission) and periods where they get worse (relapses), especially in the early stages of treatment.

Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs)

SSRIs boost levels of a chemical called serotonin in the brain, which may help lift your mood and lead to an improvement in your eating habits. However, the long-term effects of the treatment for binge eating are unknown.

Losing weight

Although the treatments mentioned above won’t address your weight directly, you may experience some weight loss if you are able to control your bingeing – particularly if you combine treatment with regular exercise.

If you are struggling to lose weight, your GP or a weight loss management health professional (such as a dietitian) will be able to draw up a weight loss plan that will provide you with the nutrition your body needs to be healthy, as well as helping you to lose weight.

You may be advised to follow this plan alongside your other treatments, or after your psychological issues have been dealt with.

Your plan may involve:

keeping a food diary to see if there is any pattern to when you binge and to highlight the types of food you binge on

having regular, planned meals and not skipping meals

eating healthy snacks between meals to stop you getting hungry

not depriving yourself of specific foods – you may be encouraged to include some unhealthy foods in your eating plan to reduce your urge to binge on them

having a balanced, calorie-controlled diet as recommended by your GP or other healthcare professional

exercising regularly – most adults should do at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise every week

It's important that you lose weight healthily. Extreme dieting and cutting out meals can make binge eating worse.

Reading Well Books on Prescription

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Reading Well Books on Prescription is an early intervention service to help people understand and manage their mental health. The agency provides a core book list of accredited titles recommended by healthcare professionals that covers a range of common mental health conditions such as anxiety, depression, phobias and eating disorders.